Kimchi is a side dish that everyone likes very much. Especially in autumn and winter, many families began to pickle sherry red, Chinese cabbage, sugar and garlic. Experts remind that the main safety problem in pickled food is pickled vegetables, especially short-term pickled vegetables, which are called "pickled vegetables".

It is safer to marinate for more than one month.

Fan Zhihong, an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, College of Food Science, China Agricultural University, pointed out that nitrite comes from nitrate with high content in vegetables. Vegetables absorb nitrogen from nitrogen fertilizer or soil and accumulate non-toxic nitrate. Nitrate is transformed into toxic nitrite by some bacteria in the curing process, which brings trouble. After that, nitrite is gradually utilized or decomposed by bacteria, and the concentration will gradually decrease or even disappear after reaching a peak.

Generally speaking, the most nitrite in pickles is between two or three days and ten days after the start of pickling: when the temperature is high and the salt concentration is low, the "nitrite peak" appears earlier; On the contrary, when the temperature is low and the salt content is high, the "nitrite peak" appears later. Pickling pickles and sauerkraut generally takes more than one month in the north, and it takes more than 20 days in the south. Generally speaking, the content of nitrite drops obviously after 20 days, and it is very safe after one month. The real threat to food safety is the kind of vegetables that are only pickled for two or three days to ten days. Vegetables preserved for more than one month can be safely eaten.

Experts also reminded that adding onion, ginger, garlic, pepper juice and lemon juice can reduce the content of nitrite, such as organic sulfide in garlic juice and vitamin C in lemon juice. It can block nitrite from synthesizing nitrosamine carcinogens.

Chronic patients and children should not eat more pickles.

Many people like to eat pickles. Fan Zhihong pointed out that kimchi contains dietary fiber and a certain amount of minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. Lactic acid fermentation and acetic acid fermentation can also produce a small amount of B vitamins, so it is ok to eat pickles as appetizers.

However, pickles should not be the main dish or even replace fresh vegetables. In particular, patients with chronic diseases and children need to eat more fresh vegetables to prevent diseases or promote growth, and develop good eating habits with light taste, and it is not advisable to eat more pickles.

Beware of excessive salt and sugar in pickled food.

Experts also said that salt or sugar is the main raw material for people to pickle food. Sugar pickled vegetables will not produce toxic substances, but if they are to be preserved for a long time, the sugar content should reach more than 65%, which will bring trouble of high sugar and high calorie. If pickles want to be preserved for a long time, the salt content should reach about 15%, and the taste is too heavy, which is easy to raise blood pressure. Although many pickles use sugar and salt to reduce salt at present.

However, no matter how high-quality pickles are, they are all foods with more salt and sugar. Compared with fresh products, the nutritional components of pickled vegetables and fruits are greatly lost. From the point of view of nutrition and health, it is better to eat fresh vegetables and fruits directly.